The present Capitol Building in Madison, Wisconsin was built between 1906-1917, following the destruction of the previous state capitol in a fire in 1904. It was designed by George B. Post in the Beaux Arts-style and replaced the 1857-1869 Classical Revival-style structure with Romanesque Revival elements. The present Capitol Building features a large greek cross footprint with four five-story wings aligned with the compass directions and radial streets. The exterior of the building is clad in Bethel white granite, sourced from Vermont, with an additional 42 types of stone from a total of eight states and six countries utilized on the interior of the building. The dome is the largest in the world to be entirely clad in granite, and is the tallest building in Madison. The building underwent a major renovation in the 1970s that covered up many original features, with later projects between 1988 and 2002 restoring the building while updating the building’s systems and functions for the modern needs of the state government.
The first capitol of Wisconsin upon the formation of Wisconsin Territory in 1836 was in the village of Belmont, Wisconsin. Upon Burlington becoming part of the new Iowa Territory, the state legislature moved to a log and stone building on the present site of the state capitol, a relatively humble Greek Revival-style building constructed in 1837. The small second capitol building was the first state capitol of Wisconsin upon its ascension to statehood in 1848, but had become inadequate for the growing population and government by the 1850s. The original building was demolished and replaced with a larger, Classical Revival-style structure with Romanesque Revival elements.
The present Capitol Building stands 284 feet tall to the top of the statue on the dome, which was sculpted in 1920 by Daniel Chester French, and is a personification of the state of Wisconsin, with the outstretched arm of the statue representing the state motto, “Forward”. The exterior of the building’s wings feature porticoes on the ends with corinthian columns, arched windows on the third floor, rusticated bases with entrance doors and decorative keystones, decorative reliefs featuring festoons over the windows on the porticoes, cornices with modillions and dentils, and pediments with sculptural reliefs.
On the east wing, which is home to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the sculpture known as Law, created by Karl Bitter, is located on the portico pediment, on the west wing, which houses the chamber of the Wisconsin Assembly, is a sculpture known as Agriculture, also created by Karl Bitter, on the north wing, which is home to a hearing chamber, is the sculpture known as Virtues and Traits of Character, created by Adolph Alexander Weinman, and on the south wing, which houses the chamber of the Wisconsin Senate, is a sculpture known as Wisdom and Learning of the World, created by Attilio Piccirilli.
The present Capitol Building is one of the last works of the prolific architect George B. Post, who died before the building was completed. It underwent a major renovation in the 1970s that added modern features to the interior and covered up many original features, with later projects between 1988 and 2002 restoring the building while updating the building’s systems and functions for the modern needs of the state government. The building has a rich history, having been the third structure on the site, as previous structures burned down or became inadequate for the growing population and government of Wisconsin. The building is a symbol of Wisconsin, and is an iconic landmark in Madison.